Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a cult pop literary sensation when it hit bookstores in 2009. But will that carry over to 2016? The popularity of zombie movies and TV shows (notably The Walking Dead and its spinoff Fear the Walking Dead) would seem to indicate yes, especially if that content is able to approach the material from a fresh angle.
Adapting Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel might do the trick, mashing up Jane Austen’s novel set in 19th century England with more modern elements of zombie and horror tales. The book was a big success (certainly popular enough to be adapted into a feature film), and judging by its newly released teaser trailer, the movie could be just as much of a hit. Give it a look.
https://youtu.be/QWr3mLI8Xl8
At the very least, the trailer gets the tone exactly right with the period setting and costumes, and the soaring music and whimsical tone. This could easily be another adaptation of Austen’s novel. But then, you know, the undead show up, compelling prim and proper ladies to become kick-ass zombie killers. How much fun would this have been if you saw it in the theater and had no idea it was for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?
Based on the trailer alone, this looks significantly better than the movie version of Grahame-Smith’s other literary-horror mash-up, 2012’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Directed by Burr Steers (Charlie St. Cloud) and starring Lily James and Sam Riley, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is set for a Feb. 5, 2016 theatrical release.
(Incidentally, Grahame-Smith has certainly moved on to bigger and better things, as Warner Brothers just tabbed him to make his directorial debut on The Flash, according to The Hollywood Reporter.)
